Method of making bricks.



T. PARKER.

METHOD OF MAIKING BRICKS. APPLICATION F|L En Nov. 2|. 1914.

1,1 83,760. Patented May 16, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

T. PARKER.

METHOD 0F MAKING BRICKS.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 2l. 1914.

- 1,183,760. Patented 16,1916.

2 SHE HEET 2.

THOMAS-PARKER, 0F LONDON, ENGLAND.

METHOD OF MAKING IBBICKS.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented May 16, 1916.

Application led November 21, 1914. Serial No. 873,304.

To all whom t may concern.' l

Be it known that I, THOMAS PARKER, a subject of the King of GreatBritain and Ireland, and a resident of London, England, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in the Method of Making Bricks, ofwhich the following is a specication.

This invention relates to a new or improved method of molding andfinishing bricks, building materials and the like, and has for itsobject to produce by means of the improvements hereinafter described,perfectly finished bricks, tiles, pipes, or the like molded articlesthat are 'required in the building or like art of any required oonsistency, hardness and coloring, the process of production beingcontinuous from the delivery of the raw material to the finishedarticle, such process embracing in itsv entirety, molding, coloring,vitrifying or glazing, burning and delivering the articles cooled offfor storage or transport.

The invention in its essentials is characterized by the molding of thebrick earth or raw material in a dry or comparatively dry and comminutedcondition against the back of the last formed article at a pressure thatknits the particles together to form a homogeneous article, such seriesof articles when molded successively'preserving their form and shape byreason of such preliminary pressing process. The articles sol molded arethen moistened internally or externally, and from the molding machinefed into a channel or passage that ultimately takes such bricks orarticles into a heat zone, where burning. or vitrification takes place,and from whence the article is ultimately delivered as a nished product.

In carrying my method into practice an apparatus is used, whichcomprises a grinding device, a molding press, and a longituy foratedbrick.

box, suitable for the manufacture of a per- .Referring to the drawings,a grinding machine 1 1s placed so that preferably the commlnuted rawmaterial may fall by gravity into the delivery chutes 2. This gindingmachlne may b e of known type, but what- .ever type of grlnding machineis employed, 1t 1s necessary that the raw material contemplated in themanufacture must be reduced to aihighly divided'state, and some part of1t 1f not the whole reduced to an lmpalpable powder. The ground materialpasslng -down the chutes 2, enters the mouth 3 of. the plunger presssection 3a. This press section 1s provided with a hollow plunger 4:,adapted to be driven in any suitable Inanner, such as by an eccentricdevice 5 from a shaft 6. The hollow plunger lis provided with astatlonary mandrel 7, which mandrel is adapted to protrude beyond theplunger when the. latter is withdrawn. The hollow mandrel 1s connectedby means of a pipe 8 to a boiler pump 9, or similar device by means ofwhich a binding, moistening and coloring agent can be injected throughsaid hollow mandrel into the contents of the brick or like articlemolded. The plunger press mold section proper terminates a shortdistance beyond the stroke of the plunger as shown, the diameter of thebore of the section being identical throughout its length. Acontinuation 10 of the plunger press mold is provided, which may betermed the hand press chamber. This chamber consists of an envelopingshell whose upper -part or top plate 11 is adapted to be brought intocontact with the molded articles by means of set screws 12. By means ofthese set screws, the pressure upon the molded articles may beregulated, and the article may be further consolidated. The length ofthis chamber depends upon the article molded but in the apparatus shownin the drawings, which is Vsuitable for the purpose of molding bricks,

the length of the chamber shown, is approximately correct for thispurpose. One of the walls of said hand press chamber is provided with anaperture 13 through which a binding agent is forced in any known andconvenient manner through the pipe 14.-. The bricks in this case orarticles molded in the press mold that emerge from the hand presschamber, enter a continuing tunnel, that is Aare progressed by thecontinuously reciprocating movement of the plunger.

It will be observed that in the manufacture of articles according tothis process,-

the preceding article molded, acts as an abutment against which thesucceeding article is pressed. It has been stated that when dry orsubstantially dry material is so treated, adherence between the bricksor articles does not take place, as the surface of the article is, underthe pressure employed so smooth, even and hard that the subsequentpressing operation does not cause adherence to take place betweensuccessively molded pieces. In order however to break up any attachmentthat can take place a step or knob 15 is inserted in the path of thebricks prior to their entering the heat zone, the bricks in mountingthis step become parted and by reason of their progress detachthemselves, and are subsequently fed forward in an independent and loosestate. After burning however shrinkage takes place which further assistsmolded articles.

The burning chamber 16 is lined with fire brick 17 or equivalent heatresisting material, and is adapted to be heated by means' of luescommunicating with a furnace (not shown). This chamber 16 continues forsome considerable length, sufficient in fact to give the moldedarticles` the duration of one hour or such other necessary time throughthe heat zone, during which period the critical temperature ofvitrication, baking, or of burning takes place, according to the natureof the article to be treated. This process does not diHer from knownmeans of effecting the operation of burning or vitrification, andfurther description therefore of the process is needless. The bricks orother molded articles may on emerging from the heat zone be cooled andthis may even be expedited by quenching.

The operation of the invention isy as follows: The raw material is fedinto the disintegrating or grinding machine 1, and then passes into thedelivery mouth of the plunger press mold. 'At the start of operations anartificial abutment such as at 18 is provided, such as an iron block orthe like, which is placed at the position at the end of the plungerstroke. Pressure is brought to bear upon this abutment by means of a setscrew 19, and the plunger is driven forward in pressing the materialthat enters the press mold ultimately driving the abutment and thearticle molded forward. Simultaneously or shortly after with theformation of the article molded a bindingliuid partition of the l isdriven through the-hollow mandrel 7 into the interior of the article.Some of this fluid escapes and acts as a lubricating means to assist thepassage of the article molded and its previous abutment forward, it as-Il sists also to smooth or glaze'the external sur-4 face. vA series-ofmolded artciles are now progressed by a repitition of this operationinto the hand press chamber, where further fluid is provided and whichthe articles molded absorb according to their degree of porosity. As theplunger recede-s a partial vacuum is formed inducing the raw material toenter and fill the press mold. The operation of separation and passagethrough the heat zone take place progressively as they move from end toend of the whole apparatus.-

It is preferable in the manufacture of bricks or like articles that thecomposition of the raw material for this process of molding be composedwholly or mainly of clay, or earth of like character, which in a drystate is capable of fine division, but which when pressed has thefaculty of forming a coherent and homogeneous body. A

y considerable number of adulterants may be used in combination withsuch clay material. TheseI adulterants may consist of iron ore finelyground, or clays, chalk, brick earth or the like, and the binding agentmay also vary. In the case of clay it is only necessary to use steamerwater, but should a glaze or vitriiication be preferred, then salt wateror sodium silicate solution or other known suitable solution may beemployed for impregnating the mass to be vitrified. The coloring mediummay be intermiXed with the Huid glaze, or the desired glaze color may bearrived at by the ingredients from which the articles are molded.

Although one method of carrying this invention into effect has beenshown in the drawings, it is obvious that various modifi cations can bemade in the arrangement of the pa-rts, without departing from the spiritof the invention. Further, a series of molds, and press chambers may becommon to a single oven, the said oven being divided over that portionof its length which carries the moldedl articles intoa series offire-clay channels which receive the molded articles and submit them tothe heat of the furnace.

Although the present application has been illustrated with the devicefor making bricks, it is obvious that pipes, conduits, vor other similarbuilding materials can be molded by these means, and any requiredexternal shape imparted to them according to the contour and formationof the press plunger and press mold. Further in the formation of bricks,or like articles, that have a definite length as compared with theirwidth, the said lengthv` or Width as the case may be, can be altered, byshorten- E ingI or lengthening the stroke of the plunger.

This can be arranged by increasing or decreasing the throw' of thevcrank shaft 6.

lAgain, in burning or vitriying themolded articles, the chambers orpassages accommodating the said articles may be exposed drectly to the{iames or hot gas from the iues` 21, or the said chamber 16 maybecovered in and the said gas arranged to yplay around it by the provisionof annular flues 22, which are disposedto be continuous around the saidchamber, over the length of the chamber wherein the raising of themolded article to the critical temperature is carried,l

out. For some articles and if desired fuel in a liquid or dry statemaybe incorporated y in the raw material to be employed. This same topressure for successively forming the new bricks against the back of thebrick formed before, introducing a binding and coloring agent into themass while it issubject to pressure, burning and vitriying the moldedarticle and nally cooling the same.

2. A method of making bricks consisting in grinding the comminuted rawmaterial to a fine powder, subjecting the mass to a v preliminarypressure for successively formmg the new brick 'against' the end of thebrick formed ahead of thesame, adding a 'binder and a coloring agent tothe same,

moistening the articles, subjecting the same to a final pressure andburningand vitrifying the molded articles, and finally cooling the same.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.THOMAS PARKER. Witnesses:

F. C. HoBs, H. D. JAMESON.

